Always Have Always Will
by PersonifiedKat
Summary: Wally's instinct gets the better of him and he suffers the consequences. Severely injured and fighting to survive, will he make it? Focuses on Wally and Kuki and on Wally's and Hoagie's friendship towards the end. Mild swearing at one point. I do not own KND! Mr. Warburton does.


Hey guys! I'm currently working on quite a few things, but this is just in the mean time. You can expect to see more of me soon. I'd also like to ask that you review my work, because I would really love to here your opinions

-Kat

_No…Please no._

She stared at the back of the boy; the beautiful blond boy, with his broad shoulders, and his muscular arms outstretched in a protective stance. It had all happened blindingly fast. The knife being thrown, her name being called, then the boy jumping in front of her. This was yet another time during a mission that she had failed to pay enough attention to her surroundings, and now, he paid her price for her. She stood in shock and fear, staring at him, in desperate hope that maybe she had imagined the blade and the sound it had made as it embedded itself in his flesh. When she saw him start to fall, she knew it was real. His shoulders crumpled, slumped downward, and his head rolled dazedly. His knees buckled, and she finally found the will to move.

No, no, no, please…

She rushed to catch him and made it just in time, his limp heavy body weighing down her tiny arms. Once she had him secured in her grasp, she began dragging him away from the chaos that surrounded them. She could hear her other teammates, and she could tell that they were fighting hard to subdue the enemy. As she dragged the boy, she saw him raise his arm just enough to reach the handle of the deadly weapon that resided in his bleeding abdomen. She watched as he wrapped his calloused hand around it and with a small, laboured jerk, he removed it and allowed his arm to fall back to his side, dropping the knife as he felt himself being dragged away. Once she thought they were far enough away, she turned to a nearby wall and propped him up against it. He struggled to sit up, but his fists were clenched into tight fists, his mouth twisted into a grimace of agony, and his eyes felt heavy. He felt a hand reach for his neck, and fingers pressing into his pulse point. She looked into the boy's eyes and knew how desperately he was trying to keep them open, but she was relieved to feel his heart beating steadily. Her tears were soaking her face and dripping from her chin onto her dark green sweater.

Stay with me… please stay…

"Kuki… d-don't… cry" he said between laboured breaths. She could see in his eyes that he was in pure agony, and yet his tears did not fall. She heard the others rushing over, having caught sight of the boy in dire need of medical attention.

"What hap- oh my god…" she heard Nigel gasp, as the other two simply stood there in shock, seeing the boy's regular orange hoodie being turned crimson by his blood soaking through it.

"We need to get him out of here, now!" ordered Kuki in a tone that she rarely used. The others nodded, Nigel and Hoagie reached down each grabbing one of the tall boys arms, and pulled them around their shoulders. They all ran for the ship, Abby keeping one eye on the subdued enemy the whole way. Once inside, the two teens carrying their injured team mate, gently laid him down on the floor. Kuki went straight to him, and laid his head down on her lap, his weary emerald coloured irises flicking up at her.

"Wally, you have to stay awake," she said with gentle conviction.

"I'll… try" he choked back. She stroked his arm with one hand and held his head with the other.

"You can do it, I know you can," she cried, tears dripping onto the boys face. She swiped them away with her thumb.

"Kuki, we need to stop the bleeding," said Abby, leaving her station just as the plane lifted off and her assistance was no longer needed, "where is your first aid kit?" The tearful oriental girl nodded and pulled a box out from a nearby cabinet, and set it down between the two of them. They struggled to take his blood soaked hoodie off from his shoulders and rolled up his shirt to reveal a gruesome gash splayed across his abdomen. Kuki reached for the antiseptic wipes, hating herself for having to do this job.

"This is going to sting, but it will help make sure that you don't get any worse," she said, more trying to convince herself than him. He nodded slowly; knowing the pain would be immense, for this was not the first time he had been in this kind of situation, though it was the worst so far. She reached down and gently began cleaning the cut. Abby could only watch in horror as the boy's back arched against the pain, biting his tong to keep from screaming. She could only imagine the pain he must be feeling. Knowing that the boy had a huge pain tolerance, he must be in the most gruesome agony. She felt her own tears sting at her eyes. Abby couldn't just sit there any longer, so she started unwrapping the gauze for Kuki, who was almost done cleaning. Kuki wrapped the gauze around, and around him, trying desperately to stop the incessant bleeding. When she was finally satisfied she cut the gauze and taped it to him, ensuring that it was secure. She pressed a hand on his chest, thankful for the rhythmic beating that she felt underneath. He struggled, but finally reached one arm up to wrap around her hand and hold it tight. He repositioned his head so that he could see her beautiful purple eyes; the ones that sparkled with hints of magenta and lilac across a violet base. He smiled, but he could feel that it was weak.

"Don't… cry…hate…see…ya…cryin'" his words were quiet and laboured, but he knew she could hear him.

"I can't, Wally!" she cried, "Not when I have to see you like this!" she was sobbing; rattling, blood curdling, cries of pain. He decided he could afford to spend a little more energy, and yet again struggled to use his heavy arm at least one more time before he let himself rest; or whatever else would happen to him. He brushed the tears falling from her eyes, and cupped her cheek. She leaned into his touch, and held his hand there with hers.

"Need…your…strength" was the best he could muster to show how much he needed her then. He saw the flicker of understanding and conviction flashed across her eyes, and slowly but steadily, her river of tears dried up.

"Okay," she said, shakily, but with power in her voice. She was _not _going to let herself sit back and cry, as the boy she had always loved, slowly died in her arms. She was relieved when she saw him smile, and detected pride in his eyes.

I won't let you slip away… never…

She felt him relax ever so slightly as his head lay on her thighs.

"Eyes open… that's an order numbuh four," she said with a weak smirk, and was excited to hear the boy's low, rumbling chuckle.

"You… got it… sweetheart…" he choked with his own flirtatious grin. She giggled a little, in spite of herself and her favourite boy's current state. She glanced over at his wound, hidden under layers of gauze, and was relieved to see that the bloodstain had not grown. She foolishly starting to let herself think that maybe- just maybe- the boy would make it out of this unscathed. She might have kept thinking that had his cries not shredded their way through the air of the ship. He lurched upward and clutched at his stomach. Out of nowhere he yelled in pain. The team cringed at the tortured noises escaping the one operative that would never, _ever_ have let himself do so before.

"This is bad," said Nigel to Hoagie and Abby.

"This is far worse than bad, man," said Hoagie, who tried his best to accelerate their speed even more, but he knew that he was pushing it as it was.

"How far are we Hoagie?" cried a desperate Kuki.

"We're almost there!" he shouted back, taking a moment to glance back at his tormented friend. She had somehow managed to pull Wally back into her and he was currently leaning against her. He saw the grimace on his face and wanted to cry out for his best friend. Wally was strong, and anything that would cause others to hurt the way he was hurting now, wouldn't cause him to be in this much pain. This pain must be immense, agonising and incredibly ruthless to cause the iron operative to break like this. He could hear the boy's ragged gasps for air, and it was haunting. Kuki was terrified; she didn't know what to do. All she really _could_ do was wait and hope and she hated it.

"You're okay," she said, stroking his shaking, muscular arm, "we're almost there," but she could tell that he was losing strength- _fast_. His lids were slowly sinking, and his weight was starting to become heavier against her small stature.

"Stay with me Wally… I need you to stay," she said, letting out a sob. He reached behind his head in one last valiant effort to calm the girl of his dreams, the girl he had always protected with extra care and devotion. He cupped her head in his hand, and he marvelled at the softness of her ivory skin.

"It's… o-okay… K-Kooks," he said meekly, between ragged, effortful breaths. He could feel himself fading, but he fought to keep his eyes open. In his mind, he knew it was over. He knew he probably wouldn't wake up if he went to sleep. One single tear slipped out from his eye, but he didn't cry. He couldn't waste his energy crying, not when there was still a small chance that he might make it, though it was incredibly unlikely. It slipped into his mind that this might be his last chance to tell her. To tell her everything he had never had the guts to say before.

"Kooks… I need… tell ya… somethin'" he choked, while twirling his fingers in her hair.

"No, save your energy. You can tell me later," she said, not letting herself believe that he might not make it to tomorrow.

"No…important," he said, his phrases becoming more and more difficult to form, "… love ya… Kooks… always have… always will," was the best he could do before he felt all his energy disappear. His hand slipped from it's place in her hair and fell to the floor. His breathing slowed to a stop, and his body became totally limp. He couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.

"No!" she screamed. She laid him down on the floor and began CPR. She couldn't stop the tears, they were falling in long and tortured streams down her face. She saw Hoagie pound a fist on the controls, Abby bury her face in her hands, and Nigel turn away to hide his own tears. Kuki pressed on his chest, over and over. She put her lips to his, feeling a sparking sensation as she breathed for him. She repeated the process and on the third try, she felt a small cough come from the boy and his chest began to rise and fall on it's own.

"Wally!" she cried out in relief. Just as this happened, Hoagie landed the plane.

"We're here!" he yelled. The whole team ran over and helped carry the dying teenager out of the ship, just as they made it out they saw Rachel- or numbuh 362- making her way over with several of the top medical operatives in the entire KND/TND.

"We got your distress call, what hap- Oh my god," she stopped when she saw Wally. The medical operatives set to work, taking Wally and laying him down on a stretcher. Once he was secure, they began rolling him out of the room and toward the medical ward. Kuki ran to catch up.

"I'm coming with you," she said with such persuasion that the other operatives didn't bother to tell her she couldn't. She grabbed his hand and ran alongside him the whole way.

Kuki's POV

I looked down at the pale boy lying in the bed before me. He was so beautiful, even in his pained and broken state. Why did he always have to play the hero? Why couldn't he just let me take the blow for once? He always seemed to suffer because of me, and now it was all the worse, for I finally knew that he mirrored my feelings for him.

_Love ya… Kooks… always have… always will. _His words were playing like a broken record in my head. Over and over again. I still hadn't let go of his hand, and all I wanted now was to look into his beautiful green eyes; to see the spark they had always possessed, flicker and sparkle in the dimming light of the medical ward. I couldn't help tracing my fingers along his muscled arms, then his neck, then his bare chest. He was perfect in his sleep, but the moment was bittersweet, for I knew that he didn't want to be asleep. There was probably a part of him that was yelling at the top of his weakened lungs in his dreams at that very moment. I couldn't help loving his boisterous and sometimes arrogant attitude, even though it had caused us to fight all the time. I felt my hand making it's way up to his dirty blond hair and I twirled my fingers in it. He used to hate it when I played with his hair, but over time I guess he had realised that I was just going to ignore him and play with it anyway. I heard the door open, breaking me from my reverie and turned to see Hoagie walk in. he smiled sheepishly at me and walked over.

"How's he doing?" he asked, and I could tell he had been crying. The breaks in his voice made it obvious.

"Better," I said gently and smiled at the goggled boy who sat down in the chair next to me.

"Good. I don't know what I would have done if-," but he couldn't finish. He buried his face in his hands and trembled ever so slightly. I reached over and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. I knew how close the two boys were, and had always been. Wally had always stood up for Hoagie when jerks would pick on him, and in return, Hoagie had always helped Wally with his homework. These days, He was doing far better in school, with a B+/ A- average, and he never stopped thanking Hoagie for it. They also shared interests in certain things, like video games and certain sports. I smiled at the memories of their video game marathons and the play wrestling they still sometimes engaged in. I knew that he was probably just as upset as I was.

"He'll be okay. He's always okay," I comforted.

"He better be. I can't live through all those wedgies all over again," he chuckled, half heartedly. I gently shoved him and grinned a little. He wiped the tears from his eyes and stood up.

"Well, I better go give numbuh 1 the news. He's so worried, I bet if he had any hair, he would have pulled it all out by now," I laughed a little at that, but I felt sorry for Nigel. He was probably blaming himself for this and he didn't even know the story yet. When he left, I went back to studying Wally's face and tracing my fingers along his rough, yet tender skin. I lost myself in the curve of his jaw, the shape of his chin and then the colour of his pouting lips. I was stuck, stuck staring at them and remembering the jolt I had felt when I was resuscitating him. It hadn't been a real kiss, but it had still felt amazing. His lips were surprisingly soft and warm on mine. My mind wondered even further into the thought of how a real kiss must feel. Before I could stop myself I was leaning down, down, down towards his face. I cupped his cheek with one hand and left my other hand on his chest. I was so close that I could feel his shallow breath on my face and I decided that at this point, I had nothing left to lose. I closed the remaining distance and slipped, my lips onto his. I again felt the jolt of electricity coarse through my veins. I entangled my hand in his hair, and pulled his face close to mine. Just as I was about to deepen the one sided kiss, I felt his lips move. I was about to pull away in embarrassment when I felt a hand holding my head where it was. I realised that it was Wally. He was not only letting me kiss him, but he was responding and keeping me from pulling away. I smiled against his lips. This felt a million times better than before, this was perfect. I did what I had wanted to before and deepened the kiss, feeling him respond and move his lips in perfect harmony with mine. When the need for air became to great, I pulled away just a little. His eyes fluttered open and he was looking at me as he gasped for air.

"Wally, you're awake," I said, breathless as I nervously tucked a stray hair behind my ear.

"Now I am," he said with an anxious smile.

"I didn't mean to wake you, I just-,"

"I'm glad you did…and I'm glad you did it like that," he said, a blush creeping across his face. He tried to sit up but he winced in pain. This alarmed me a little.

"Are you okay? Do you hurt? Do you want me to go and find one of the other medical operatives?" I fired the questions far to fast for him to slip even a word in. I was about to stand up when I felt his large hand wrap around my tiny wrist.

"No!" he exclaimed, then his voice became so soft and quiet that I could barely believe that it was him to whom the voice belonged, "please stay… I need you," and with that, the tears began again.

"How could you need _me_ when all I ever do is cause you pain," I cried, and I buried my face in my hands, "Every time I'm around during a mission you get injured. You could've died!" I was sobbing harder then I had ever sobbed before. I was shaking and my tears were falling in huge quantities. I felt a strong arm wrap around my body and pull me out of my seat. Before I could object, I was draped across Wally's lap and he was gently rocking me. I was crying into his shoulder and his head was resting on mine.

"Don't cry… Please don't cry Kooks… I hate it when ya cry," he chocked. I looked up and locked his eyes with mine. He looked weary and in pain, but it was emotional rather than physical. I laid my head back down on his chest, then felt my eyes wonder to the ugly wound. It was neatly stitched up, but it was still blaringly painful to look at. He must have seen me looking at it.

"I'm gonna have a nice scar to add to my collection, don't ya think?" This comment made me mad.

"How can you be so calm about this! You nearly died! You nearly left me and the others behind, and yet here you are making stupid jokes that aren't even funny!" I sat up and looked at him, daring him to make yet another brainless remark. Instead, he rolled his eyes.

"Oh common, Kooks… look on the bright side!" he said. It was my turn to roll my eyes, but I did this because I knew he was right.

"You know if I didn't love you so much, I would tan your hide!" I told him. He just sat in shock.

"W-what did you say," I looked at him confused, then realised what he meant. My agitation disappeared and I leaned my head back down on his. I wrapped my arms up around his neck.

"I love you Wally… always have… always will," I said, somewhat quoting his previous confession. I felt his arms tighten around my waist, and he nuzzled his face into my neck.

"You're everything to me… you know that right?" He said quietly. I looked up into his emerald eyes and felt as though I could live my life sitting there in his arms forever. As I gazed into his eyes, I saw no sign of deception. All I saw was love; endless love and devotion, "That's why I will never let you get hurt. You're what keeps me going… that's why I need you," I felt myself melt into his arms ever more. He was so open, finally letting himself speak what he had felt for so long.

"I need you too… that's why you can't throw your life away. I don't think I would be able to breath let alone live without you," I said, realising how true my words were, "just… please try to be more careful," I begged him, and I saw a flicker of understanding flash across his jade orbs.

"I'll try Kooks," he said, his voice soothing as it whispered into my ear. We sat in silence for a while, and all I wanted was to stay in his muscular arms forever, but then numbuh 1 rushed in.

"Wal- I mean numbuh 4! You're awake!" his face was filled with relief, but also concern. He didn't seem to surprised by me and Wally's closeness, and if he was he just ignored it.

"Yeah… thankfully…" Said Wally with a smirk. He must have noticed numbuh 1's weary, exhausted appearance, because his smirk disappeared.

"How long have I been out anyway?" he asked, confusion and worry in his eyes. Numbuh 1 rubbed the back of his bald head and smiled sheepishly.

"About three days I think," he said and I felt Wally's body grow tense.

"Oh…" was all he said, "I didn't know that," then he looked at me apologetically. His gaze wondered back to his worn out leader.

"How long has it been since you had a good night's sleep, numbuh 1?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Three days… or so," He said meekly, staring at the floor as though the grey tiles were suddenly very interesting, "I was just… worried that you might not-," then he stopped abruptly as though he just realised that I was in the room. It seemed that the thought of losing Wally hurt him almost as much as it hurt me. He faltered and turned to run out of the room.

"Nigel wait!" called Wally. Nigel stopped in his tracks, and slowly turned around to face us, "It's not your fault!" Wally yelled, not out of anger, but frustration. Tears of regret and frustration painting his face. I just sat there stunned. We rarely ever saw Nigel's emotions, for he normally his them behind his trademark shades. This was the first time I had ever seen him cry, or really show any signs of sadness at all. He looked up at Wally, and his eyes were red and full of despair.

"It _is_ my fault, Wally. I'm the leader and I let you down. You could've died on my watch and I couldn't do a _thing_!" he was chocking on his own words at this point, "If I had had a better plan, we could've defeated the enemy far before this could happen. I'm nothing but a royal failure…" He turned around to exit. I jumped off of a shocked Wally and ran after him. I grabbed his shoulder and forced him to turn around and face me.

"You are no failure, Nigel!" I nearly screamed, "and it's not your fault… If it's anyone's fault it's mine!" I pushed him back towards Wally.

"Now you two work this out and call me when you've gotten your facts straight!" I slammed the door behind me. I wasn't really mad, I was just tired of Nigel always taking the blame for things he had no control over. I knew how much it annoyed Wally. He cared a lot about Nigel, and was often concerned for his well-being, though he probably wouldn't admit it if you mentioned it. I walked down the hallway to find Abby with her arms around a broken Hoagie. She smirked when she saw me.

"What was all that yellin' about? You guys are gonna give Abby a head ache," I just stomped over to the chair next to her and slumped down.

"Nigel's blaming himself for this when we all know it's my fault," I said, trying to keep my voice from breaking. The smirk disappeared from her face and Hoagie straightened up a little.

"Woah, woah, woah… This is nobody's fault except for the enemy who did this to him," she said with anguish, "and I swear to god if I hear one more person blame themselves for this we will have two operatives lyin' in the medical ward!" she threatened. I couldn't help but giggle a little. She had always been an older sister to me and I always enjoyed it when she acted like it.

"Okay, okay. But it doesn't change the fact that I really should have been paying more attention," I said, looking at the floor.

"It wouldn't have made a difference baby, there's nothin' you coulda done to stop the knife from bein' thrown… and there's nothin' you coulda done to stop numbuh 4 from protectin' you." I looked up at her and saw pride in her eyes.

"Yeah, it's just how the dim wit is," added Hoagie and I giggled again.

"You can say that again," I said.

_Wally's Pov._

"It isn't your fault man," I said arms crossed as my leader and good friend reluctantly sauntered over, "You can't help it if I'm an over protective idiot," I added, seeing if I might be able to make the weary teenager smile. I was unsuccessful. He slumped down in the chair next to my bed and glared at me.

"Oh common… what's with you guys and not being able to take a joke today," I exclaimed, exasperated.

"Sorry, but as I already mentioned, I haven't slept in three days," he said, somewhat sarcastically.

"Dude, I'm sorry okay… you know that I can't help it… my instincts just kick in befo-,"

"I know numbuh 4," he said, cutting me off, "but you cut it real close this time… I've never seen you in so much pain before," he grimaced at the memory. I reached out an arm and laid my hand on his shoulder.

"I know it was close… but I could never watch Kuki go through that. She probably wouldn't make it." I said, and he nodded. He looked up from the floor and stared at the stitched up gash. He scowled at it, as if hoping that his frown would make it disappear.

"That's probably true," he sighed, "and I know that if she didn't make it… neither would you," He looked at me and I nodded slowly. If Kuki got injured the way I was, she wouldn't have made it. It's not that she was weak; it was that I was strong. If I could barely pull through, than it's unlikely that she would even have had a chance. I needed her. I couldn't truly live without her. I would become a soulless vegetable and the team would have to place constant surveillance on me if they intended to keep me alive. I shivered at the thought and tried to push it away.

"I know you love her… a lot. But she can't live without you either, and I can't afford to lose _one_ operative, let alone _two_, so you better be more careful during future missions. No more of this hero work," he said this with his normal commanding tone, but it was plagued with concern. I looked at him straight in the eye and gave a reassuring smile. I knew the guy cared a lot about us, but it was rare for him to show it. I still felt guilty about the fact that he had lost so much sleep over me. This was the first time I had really realised how much he worries about us and much he cared for our well-being.

"I'll try… I really will," I said with soft conviction, so that he knew that I was sorry for hurting him. So he knew that I didn't mean to cause him so much fear. He smiled a little at that and gave a quiet sigh of relief.

"Good, now I better go make sure Kuki isn't actually as mad as she seemed. Oh, and Hoagie might want to see you too. He's been rather miserable lately," he said this non-chalantly, but I knew it was bothering him. It bothered me too. Hoagie, the humorous joyful nerd, miserable? Nu-uh, not going to happen.

"Send 'im numbuh 1," I said with a smirk, "let's see if I can put a smile on 'is face," He got up and grinned.

"You got it," he promptly left. I sat in silence for a few minutes and studied my injury. It was ugly, purple and black in some places. The stitches were even though, which made it a little better. I allowed the enormity of my survival to set in for a moment. Just a moment, then I would suppress the thought into the depths of my chore. I had truly thought I wouldn't make it. I almost always pulled through in previous times, but this had been worse. My mind shifted to the memory of the pain, and I winced. Now I felt only a dull ache, though I had a feeling it would get worse before it got better. I could withstand many things that others couldn't- physical things anyway. I guess you could call it a gift, but it's mostly just well developed determination when you think about it. There was no way in hell, that I would consciously allow myself or anyone else to hurt my friends. So maybe that means I got hurt instead, who cares? I would be able to know that the others were safe. That would always be payment enough. I was broken from my reverie when he rushed in and sat down abruptly by my bed, panting as though he had run the whole way from numbuh 362's office. I looked up him and was saddened when I saw his face. His goggles were sitting crooked on his nose, his reddish-brown hair was a mess under his worn out cap, his eyes sported dark circles and he was fidgeting like crazy. He rarely looked like this, if ever, and it worried me.

"Dude… you're a mess," I said, making sure he knew I wasn't trying to be humorous, trying to show him that he was concerned for him. He chuckled nervously, still fidgeting.

"You're alive," he looked up and I noticed that his eyes were puffy and red, "you're alive,"

"You already said that, mate" I raised an eyebrow. I leaned back and crossed my arms, "what's wrong with you? I've never seen you like this before,"

"Well sorry but it's not everyday your best friend nearly dies!" he snapped, then he coiled back and hid his face in his hands, "I'm sorry, I'm just a little… stressed I guess," I just sat there, stunned. This was a side of my friend that I had never encountered before.

"Hoagie…" I'm not sure if it was the fact that I said his real name or if it was how I said it, but either way, it hit him hard. He chocked and made some sort of strangled noise. It pained me to hear it. I reached out and placed a hand on each of his shoulders. He looked up and I smiled as best I could.

"Listen… I know I was stupid, I know I was reckless and I know that everyone was worried sick," I said tears stinging at my eyes, "but we need to focus on the future… stop worryin' Hoags… you're the one guy in the world that I truly need to _stop worryin'_" At this point we were both crying. If it weren't for the fact that it broke my heart to see him like that, I would have been annoyed with him for letting me shed tears. But I was excited to see him smile a little when I did.

"Dude, I don't think I've ever seen you cry before," he said, half laughing, half crying. I chuckled, but pulled him into a brotherly hug.

"It's a one time only opportunity," I said as I punched his shoulder playfully.

"So… that's gonna be an ugly scar," he joked while wiping the tears from his eyes, "I hope a certain girl doesn't get put off by it," he smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Shut up, man," I tried to act annoyed, but I really just wanted to laugh, "you and I both know who my heart belongs to and that she couldn't care less if I had a buhmillion scars just like this… I hope" we both chuckled. I was glad to see that he was acting like himself again.

It was a week later when I was finally allowed to leave the moon base. It hadn't been to bad up there, especially because the team had stayed with me, I just hated being the cause for worry. The only condition for my release was that I remain out of missions for the rest of the month. I didn't like it all that much, but I guess I would survive; after all I had Kuki and the others. It was funny actually, because the scar didn't end up being so bad after all. It's just a mere shadow of what it once was, and it brought delight to Kuki because she hated remembering how close to death I had been. I knew that there was going to be future injuries like this, and so did the team, so we learned to savour the time we had together, for you never know when one of us could slip away…


End file.
